Jesse d



(ModeL) J. D. COTTRELL.

Let Off Mechanism for Looms.

No. 233,077. Patented Oct. 12, I880.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

JESSE D. OOTTRELL, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND.

LET-OFF MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 233,077, dated October 12, I880,

Application filed May 24, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JEssE D. Oo'r'rRELL, of Central Falls, in the county of Providence and State'ot' Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Let-Off Mechanisms for Looms; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a side view of the frame of a loom carrying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of a rear corner of the loom-frame carrying the let-off mechauism; Fig. 3, a rear elevation of the let-oft mechanism; Fig. 4, a section on line a m, Fig. 1, showing in rear view the mechanism used to retain the wl1ip-rollfrom,being depressed when the beat of the lay takes place. Fig. 5 represents an axial section through the lastmentioned mechanism; Fig. 6, a perspectir'e ,view of the pawl forming one of the elements of this let-oft mechanism.

The invention relates to mechanisms used to gradually let off the warp of looms and obtain an even tension thereon. In this case it is intended mainly to facilitate the even weaving of heavy goods, although the yarn thereof may be unevenly sized, and consequently harder and more rigid in one place than in the other.

Heretofore the warp of looms has been retained under tension either by friction applied to the warp-beam or its connections, or by combinations of gears and weights or springs, or by means of escapements with ratchet or stud wheels, and these devices are not new; neither is it new to have a controlling mechanism operated by the lay while the latter may be in the act of beating a filling, or to connect said controlling mechanism with a pawl and ratchetwheel, the latter united by gearing with the warp-beam.

The object of my invention is to construct a let-oft mechanism for a loom by means of which the heaviest and stiffest goods can be woven as evenly as light goods could be woven upon the same loom, and also to control the tension on warps that have not been wound hard or tightly upon the beam, so that if the yarn slips the mechanism will not let off until (ModeL) the yarn stops slipping and comes to the proper tension. For this purpose I employ some of the parts shown in the mechanism for which I obtained Letters Patent March 9, 1880, notably the pawl with parallel pallets.

My invention consists in the combination of said pawl, having three or more parallel pallets of different lengths, and its stud and the spring thereon with the whip-roll, a rod connected therewith and extending to the lay of the loom, and an arm or bell-crank lever controlled by an adjustable spring upon its journal, and with said whip-roll, rod, and bell-crank leverof a weight retained vertically against the forward portion of the loom upon an adjustable support, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, A represents the side frame of a loom, the breast-beam being at A and the warp-beam at B. The latter is pror'ided with journals adapted to revolve in the frame at a.

Secured to the warp-beam is a gear-wheel, B, (dotted circle in Fig. 1,) adapted to mesh with a pinion, (I, placed upon the inner end of the shaft d passing through bearings secured to the frame. The outer end of the shaft (1 carries a gear-wheel, O, which meshes with a pinion, e, capable of revolving freely upon a short shaft, a, secured to the frame of the loom. To this pinion e is secured a wheel, E, having a series of arms provided with elliptical studs 0 projecting from said arms near the outer end of the same, whereby the motion of the wheel is arrested by such studs coming in contact with the pallets of the pawl F. This pawl is pivoted on a stud, a, projecting from the side of the frame of the loom, and is operated in the following manner: To one end of the whip-roll G is secured a pendent arm, g, having a bent or hooked extension, g, to pass over an arm, f, projecting from the inner side of the pawl F. When the latter is retracted under the impulse given to the whip-roll by the warps passing over it, it allows the wheel E to partially revolve and release one of its studs. The pawl F returns then to its normal position, with its upper end resting against the hub of the pallet-wheel, under the impulse of the spring (0 coiled upon its stud a, one end of the spring a being secured to the pawl and the other end to the frame of the loom, or to an adjustable nut, as will be described hereinafter in relation to the forward spring-arm I. (Shown in Figs. 4 and 5.)

The pawl F is provided upon the inner face with a series of parallel pallets, f f f of different lengths, made for engagement with the studs 6 The palletfis the nearest to the pawlpivot, and when connected toa loom, as shown, arrests, first, one of the studs of the studwheel. The pallet f extends, as thep'allctj, from the rear edge of the pawl, but is larger than the latter and requires a more decided retracting movement of the pawl (caused by the whip-roll) to allow said stud to escapeover said pallet f and in the rear of the palletf (which is cut shorter than the pallet f during the oscillation of the pawl, and allow the device to give off a supply of yarn. The same operation is repeated upon the stud following, each stud jumping one or more pallets at a time, according to the pressure on the whip-roll. The pawl F is also provided with a handle, f, to facilitate its. disconnection by hand from the stud-wheel when desired.

To produce a let-off mechanism capable of acting as well upon very heavy and stiff goods as upon light goods, and to prevent the whiproll from being depressed to cause the let off of the yarn while the beat of the lay takes place against the cloth, there is pivoted to the pendent arm 9 of the whip-roll, at 9 a rod, H, extending parallel with the side of the frame to an arm, I, of a bell-crank lever arran ged with respect to the lay in front thereof, as shown in Fig. 1, and to the lay K a projection, 7c, is affixed, carrying a bolt, 7o,'to abut against the arm I when the beat of the lay takes place.

To partially resist the tendency of the yarn under tension to depress the whip-roll, the hollow shaft 1' of the bell-crank lever is surroundd by a coiled spring, Z, the resilience whereof is made adjustable by mounting the hollow shaft of the bell-crank upon a bolt, as follows: The frame of the loom, or an arm, m, secured thereto, is screw-tapped to receive one end of a shouldered bolt, 02, as shown in Fig. 5. The other end of the bolt is proyided with a collar, n, to retain the bell-crank lever, and a square head, W, to receive a wrench, when desired to regulate the tension of the spring l. Upon the reduced portion of the bolt a, adjoining the screw-threaded end, is placed a collar, 1), having a series of radial perforations in its periphery to receive a pin or light rod and be turned thereby. One end of the coiled spring 1 is secured to the arm I, and the other enters a perforation in the collar 1) parallel with its axis.

When it is desired to regulate the tension of the spring, and thereby. the tension on the warp passing over the whip-roll and communicated thereto by the arms I g and rod H, the bolt a is slackened with a wrench and the collar 9 revolved more or less, as the case may be, and while held with one hand, by means of a light rod or its equivalent in one of its radial perforations, the bolt n is screwed on again until the collar is held firmly between the shoulder on said bolt and its support m.

The above-described spring-tension arrangement will accomplish, with the action of the lay on arm I, all that may be desired in weaving heavy goods, such as duck, and will require, when once adjusted, no change in its adjustment for the same kind of goods. But for lighter goods I use, in connection with the spring tension, a weight, Q, retained connected with the forward end of the loom upon a spindle projecting upward from its support B. This support is slotted and secured to the frame by a screw, r, so that it can be elevated, and with it the weight, to keep the latter out of action for heaviest goods, or depressed and connected with the arm I of the bell-crank for medium heavy goods. For this purpose the weight Q has a long slotted bail, q, through which the arm I of the bell-crank passes and plays freely up and down until the tension on the warp requires the device to let off. This is done, as above described, by allowing one of the studs 0 to escape from the longest pallet f" of the pawl F, and the weight is then elevated for an instant.

In a few words I will state here that for very heavy goods the action of the lay through the bolt 7r, arm I, 830., is used; but for ordinary goods the bolt k projecting from the lay can be removed and the weight Q lowered and adjusted to counteract the beat, instead of the bolt of the lay; and for very light goods the weight can again be so elevated as to be out of action, and only the adjustable tension-spring l be used.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim 1. In a let-off mechanism for looms, the combination of the warp-beam, shaft 01'', pinion d, and gear-wheel G on said shaft, pinion e, and a wheel provided with studs projecting from its side, the frame of a loom, a stud projecting from said frame, and a spring-pawl pivoted to said stud and provided with three or more pallets of different lengths, and an arm, f,

with the whip-roll, the arms g and g thereof,-

rod H, and lever I, substantially as and for the purpose described. a

2. The combination of the whip-roll G, arm rod H, lever I, its supporting-bolt, spring l, the loom-frame, and collar 17, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination of the frame of a loom, its whip-roll, rod H, connected with the whiproll, a bell-crank lever, I 1, its supportingbolt, and tension-spring with a weight, Q, and its adjustable support, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JESSE D. GOTTRELL.

Witnesses WM. H. Goonnvo, J OHN L. J ones. 

